An Exercise In Futility
by Reno of the Troika
Summary: AtoRyo Atobe has a problem. Tezuka and Fuji aren't going to let it go. What's a poor monkey king to do?


Happy Birthday Tofu-melon!

I wish you many years of happiness. You are a great friend, and I'm very lucky to be able to count you as one of my closest, nearest and dearest to my heart. Hopefully this was what you were looking for.

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><p>Note: names will be in last namefirst name style. Suffixes like -kun and -senpai have been used. Tried to limit the Japanese but some things I couldn't help. Feel free to ask if you don't understand anything.

A/N: This has not been edited.

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><p>Book I The Cause<p>

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><p>It was that damned Fuji Syuusuke's fault.<p>

Atobe gripped his hair tightly as he sat in a high profile cafe a couple of miles away from Seishun Gakuen. The moment he had arrived in the cafe, he had temporarily bought the cafe for the day so he could enjoy some coffee without worrying over other people shadowing his brilliance with their pathetic lives. Normally he would have retreated to his manor but he could not afford to show his moment of weakness to the world.

And that moment of weakness began and ended with that evil Fuji Syuusuke. Atobe had always been aware that Fuji was a demon, but normally Atobe was unaffected by Fuji's poor attempts at riling him up. At least until today...

[Flashback]

"Tezuka!" Atobe dramatically threw the doors to Seigaku's tennis court open. He smirked at the astonished looks on the commoner's faces at his arrival. He was slightly irked at unsurprised and rather dull reactions to his appearance from Tezuka, Fuji, and the little brat, Echizen.

Echizen muttered under his breath, "Stupid monkey king" before returning to his practice match against Momoshiro.

Atobe felt him brow twitch with the familiar feeling of irritation towards Echizen's blatant disregard for Atobe's brilliance. He ignored the brat for now, in favor of talking to Tezuka. "Tezuka, your favorite tennis brand released a new and much improved tennis racket in honor of my donation to their brand. I've acquired a second racket for you." He lazily threw shiny packaged tennis racket at the older match. "Now you won't be able to use your pathetic racket as an excuse for not playing against me. Let's play."

Tezuka's glasses glinted, though it was anyone's guess if he was happy or irritated with Atobe's continued presence on the court. Momo was not so quietly whispering on the other site of the court, "As if Captain needs a silly racket to beat that Monkey's ass."

"Atobe." Tezuka's deep voice traveled across the silent court. "Thank you."

Atobe smiled with a hint of smirk touching his lips. "Of course. You're the only worthy rival I have." His smirk deepened when he heard a disgruntled grunt from the chibi brat.

Tezuka, however, had a frown creeping on his face. "Momoshiro! Echizen!" His voice was stern and unforgiving. "80 laps around the courts. Now!"

"Hai..." While Momoshiro dragged hisself off the court with a resigned expression, Echizen's face took an almost petulant look. The chibi brat nonchalantly bent over to retie his shoelaces. Atobe watched the scene unfold with a sense of vague amusement. That Echizen was asking for trouble. As Echizen busied himself over his laces, his shirt rode up revealing a strip of smooth tanned skin. Droplets of perspiration slowly trailed down, hitting and sometimes slipping past the shorts that loosely held to the chibi's hips. Atobe's following a particular droplet as it slowly and sensuously traveled before it finally dropped between a thin crease that appeared above Echizen's shorts.

Atobe tore his eyes away from the scene in front of him, a faint blush gracing his cheeks. He cast discrete around to verify no one had seen and recognized his... momentary distraction. He felt relief coursing through his body as his slow perusal of the court could not identify a single ...

Sharp blue eyes with a touch of sadistic amusement meet his own eyes.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!

"Tezuka. I'm leaving." Atobe said with a clipped voice. Atobe is not amused when he realizes Tezuka also seems to have observed both his moment of weakness and his realization that Fuji was watching.

Tezuka, rare as it is, has a slight upturn at the corner of his lips, the closest Atobe has seen to a real smirk. He feels sweat start accumulating on his forehead at the combination attack he is experiencing from Tezuka and Fuji. Both with knowing looks, both dangerous to Atobe's sanity in their own ways. Tezuka acknowledges Atobe's previous words with a nod and adds, "I will see you soon."

[End Flashback]

Atobe slowly loosened the grip of his hair, feeling around to make sure he hadn't ruined the beautiful flow of his hair. Releasing a sigh, he leaned back into his chair and looked at the ceiling. As the light danced across the ceiling, he couldn't help but remember the smooth expanse of skin that had momentarily graced his vision. The slender lithe body...

THUD! He fell along with his chair onto the ground. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. As he rolled away from the chair and sat up, he took the time to make sure no one had noticed his graceless fall...

Lo and behold. The two figures of his nightmares.

Fuji rested his against a chair on the other side of the table and leaned forward with a smile (if it could be called that) spread across his face. "Ne, Atobe. Were you really that surprised to see us? Or..." His smile sharpened. "Were you so distracted by your ... innocent ... thoughts that you didn't notice your position and fell?"

"Fuji." Tezuka's tone alone caused Fuji to withdraw, though the smile never left his face. "Atobe, we followed you to discuss your intentions."

Atobe scoffed, "Intentions? You make it sound like I'm after some kid's virtue. I'm too amazing to give anyone the benefit of my presence."

Tezuka just stared at Atobe. Atobe held that gaze, willing Tezuka to surrender, to look away, to stop judging him. And eventually Atobe himself turned away. Leaning over, he grabbed his chair and set it back up against the table. Petulantly he remarked, "I don't see how it's any of your business anyways. It's not like I've ever done anything to the brat nor do I ever plan to. He doesn't know how to respect his superiors anyways."

Atobe was regretting his decision to stay within a couple of miles of Seigaku. He had allowed himself to be surrounded by two stubborn individuals who he rarely could win against outside tennis. When the silence became too much for him, he forced himself to meet their gazes. Tezuka was pinching his nose, with the expression of one suffering, through what Atobe could not figure out. Conversely Fuji was still smiling, though a more thoughtful look was evident in his eyes. Atobe shuddered as he realized Fuji was coming up with something.

"Well," Fuji finally said brightly, "Now we just need to scope out Ryoma-kun's feelings in all of this, and we're good to go."

"...Good to go? The hell does that mean?!" Atobe was starting to question his sanity in even involving himself with these two.

"Right, Tezuka?" Fuji smile directed at Tezuka resulted in a more pinched expression gracing Tezuka's face. "After all, Atobe and Echizen are both important to us. We know them well enough, and Atobe, well..." Fuji's gaze turned dangerous one more. "If he pulls anything and makes Ryoma-kun cry, he will regret it."

"Can that brat even cry?" Atobe asked before he could stop himself. "I mean, if anything, he'll probably beat me up with a tennis racket."

Fuji nodded slowly, as if taking the comment seriously. "That may be true. But then he may never show his face at school again. And that will affect my way of living if I can't ... play with my cute little kouhai every now and then. Momo and Kaidou are just as fun to play with, but I love messing- I mean helping all three of them."

Trying to prevent himself from gaping at the worst reason to help a kouhai, Atobe asked with bewilderment, "What makes you think I'm going to pursue that scrawny kid? He does not appreciate my brilliance after all."

"And that's what you like about him, right?" Ignoring Atobe's expression, Tezuka continued, "You've been my rival for a long time. I, better than anyone, know you. Echizen is going to fight you every step of the way, and that's one of the things that appeals to you. I'm not saying I won't ... impart upon you the consequences of hurting him, but I trust you not to do that on purpose. The rest is on you. Fuji, we're leaving."

After the longest string of words Atobe has heard come out of Tezuka's mouth at one time, Atobe can only watch with a dazed look as the two whirlwinds leave the cafe, leaving one very confused Atobe Keigo in their wake.

Atobe sighed and sat back down. Looking at his cup of untouched coffee, he scowled and promptly ordered a second fresh cup be made. He deliberately ignored the secret smiles on the cafe staff's face, his thoughts occupied with Fuji's and Tezuka's words as well as the actions and words of one Echizen Ryoma.

He looked at his hand, laid out palm up on the table. Slowly he closed and tightened his fist, resolve apparent in every line. After all, why not?

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><p>Book II The Effect<p>

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><p>"What is monkey king doing here again?" Ryoma vocally complained as he noticed the appearance of the taller tennis player. The previous day he could have sworn the arrogant player had been staring at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed something unfamiliar in Atobe's eyes, and he had felt something in his stomach flutter in response.<p>

Ryoma scowled at the ponta in his hands. That flutter had made him feel extremely uncomfortable and he had hoped not to see the monkey again for some time.

"Oi Echizen, it looks like that arrogant bastard's here again. What say I show him some Seigaku tennis?" Momo's boisterous voice in his ear caused Ryoma to wince. He subtly slipped away from Momo in attempt to save his eardrums. Fortunately for Ryoma, someone else heard Momo as well.

"Momoshiro! Ten laps around the court." Ryoma watched with amusement as Momo walked off the court, groaning about his unfair life. With Momo out of the way, Ryoma surreptiously cast a glance towards Atobe, who apparently was removing his Hyoutei jacket in order to play against Tezuka-buchou.

Ryoma was unnerved when a voice whispered in his ear, "Atobe does look to be in perfect shape today."

Ryoma shifted away and glared at Fuji. "You're too close, Fuji-senpai."

"Calm down, Echizen. I just wanted to chat while we watch their match." Fuji smiled brightly down at his kouhai, an air of innocence mixed with mischievousness hanging about him. In response Ryoma inched further away. Fuji, ever observant, grinned and said, "Don't be like that, Echizen. After all I'm sure we can appreciate their figures together."

Ryoma started nodded before abruptly meeting Fuji's knowing stare. "What do you mean, their figures? You mean their different plays, right Fuji-senpai?"

Laughing, Fuji replied, "I didn't know you were still so innocent, Ryoma-kun. Now pay attention." With a light touch, Fuji turned Ryoma's head until all he could see was Tezuka-buchou and Atobe. Disgruntled, Ryoma swiped at Fuji's hands, but settled his movement in favor of watching the match. He tried to increase the distance between himself and Fuji, as once again his senpai was creeping into his personal space, but Fuji would have none of that.

Ryoma sighed and took a sip of his ponta. Licking his lips, he was disconcerted to see Atobe's eyes following his movements. With a small pointed glare, he was faintly pleased to see Atobe sniff and turn to focus on Tezuka. And then Atobe served.

He didn't know why, but after his observation of Atobe yesterday, the match seemed slow and crystal clear, as if Ryoma observe every little action Atobe made. His graceful but powerful serve, his stubborn determination to return every ball, and his eyes shining with a sharp intensity as they observed Tezuka's return plays.

"Look, they're already drenched in sweat." Fuji said, though Ryoma could not identify the tone in which Fuji had made his observation. Looking more closely, he could see rivulets of sweat flowing down Atobe's face. Tezuka-buchou was in a similar state, but he could not hold Ryoma's attention long before it once again returned to Atobe.

Ryoma felt like yelling in frustration as now all he could pay attention to was Atobe, the way his body was moving, power lining every muscle. He could see the sweat falling down Atobe's neck into his shirt, and subsequently the sweat drenching the shirt till Atobe's figure could be clearly observed through it.

"Ah, and there he goes again, staring at Ryoma-kun." Startled Ryoma focused on Atobe's dark eyes, which stared right back and met his own. As a result Atobe missed the ball and lost his little match with Tezuka. Ryoma, if it weren't for the fact his heart was beating a mile a minute, would have smirked at the slightly aggravated look on Atobe's face. As it were, someone else beat him to it.

"Ha, that's right Atobe! Tezuka-buchou won!" Ryoma sighed. Any minute now...

"Momoshiro! Eighty laps! And Inui will provide you with a special tonic to boost your stamina."

Though feeling slightly sympathetic, Ryoma was greatly amused by the speed in which all color left Momo-senpai's face. He chugged the rest of his ponta, before aiming it and throwing it successfully into the trash can. Hefting his racket over his shoulder, he made to turn away and return to his own practice. But of course...

"Now now, Echizen. We need to congratulate the two on their well-played match." Ryoma felt confusion stir within him, as Fuji-senpai forcefully steered him to where the two captains were sharing some words while taking a drink of water. While before he had believed Fuji-senpai was being his normal weird self, Ryoma was not sure this was normal even for Fuji. But he didn't have time to hesitate as before he knew it, he was standing (rather close) to the monkey king while Fuji-senpai slipped into the space between Ryoma and Tezuka-buchou. While Ryoma would like to increase the space between himself and Fuji, that meant moving closer to Atobe, who was once again staring at Ryoma with unreadable eyes.

"...right, Echizen?"

"What?" Echizen asked, slightly distracted. He shook his head and withdrew into more familiar territory. "I see the monkey was once again all talk."

Atobe muttered under his breath before saying clearly, "Clearly the brat doesn't have eyes. You should re-think your regulars, Tezuka. Brats like him should focus on the basics."

"Maa maa, calm down," Fuji calmly inserted before the conversation could get out of hand. "Echizen, we've decided you could learn a lot from Hyoutei and help the team grow more. Atobe has graciously offered his time this evening to share Hyoutei's philosophies with you."

"What?!" Ryoma cried out, before reigning his surprise back in. "I'm not leaving with that monkey." He forcefully added, trying to back away from the trio.

Sighing, Atobe grabbed the back of Ryoma's shirt while asking Tezuka, "You mind if I borrow your clubroom? I will discipline your chibi brat for you, but you owe me Tezuka."

"Is that so, Atobe?" Tezuka's glasses glinted, hiding his eyes. "I'm sure whatever I owe you has already been repaid. But no one will disturb you. I guarantee it."

Too surprised by the conversation, Ryoma didn't get a chance to protest until he was alone with Atobe in the tennis clubroom. "What the hell, monkey king?! I don't need to learn anything from you." He shuddered slightly when Atobe didn't respond, his dark gaze seemingly boring holes into Ryoma.

Atobe abruptly relaxed and took a seat on the bench. "Relax, Echizen. That was just Tezuka and Fuji interfering. I'm not about to waste my time on someone who isn't going to listen."

Ryoma scowled, confused as hell by the turn of events. "Then why am I here? Why is buchou and Fuji-senpai ... interfering? What are the interfering with?"

"It seems I'm attracted to you. Naturally Fuji and Tezuka decided to interfere where they are not wanted and are trying to push us together."

Ryoma, surprised as he was, decided to ignore the elephant in the room. That was usually a good strategy for him. "Fuji-senpai, I can understand. Why is Tezuka-buchou involved with this?"

"Tezuka likes to think he is a cool guy who respects people's boundaries. However he has always had a good relationship with Fuji, which makes me believe those two are very similar. When they agree on something..." here, Atobe shivers, to Ryoma's amusement. "You can't go against them unless you have a safe house where you can hide forever. But, that is beside the point." Atobe pierced Ryoma with his gaze. "Don't think you can gloss over my confession. Be awed by my brilliant declaration for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Ryoma asked, "Are you delusional? There was nothing brilliant about it. And sorry, but I'm not interested." He tried to turn away and leave, but a hand tightly gripped his arm, keeping Ryoma in place.

A breath of air hit his ear as a voice whispered into it, "Don't think I didn't see you staring at me today, Echizen. You should know better than anyone. I can see everything."

Ryoma shuddered as that deep voice seemed to wash over him. He felt two hands push and turn him until his back thudded against the lockers. "What are you doing, monk-" Ryoma was cut off as soft lips touched his lips, gently at first, more aggressively as time went on. Dazed and unsure, all Ryoma could do was helplessly grip at Atobe's shirt. He felt those two hands sweep down his sides firmly, feeling everything. Then one hand came up and buried itself in Ryoma's hair, forcing them into a deeper kiss.

Ryoma didn't kiss. He was devoted to tennis, to Karupin, and to Seigaku. Girls, boys, well he hadn't really been interested. Not until now. Not until Atobe's tongue slipped into his mouth, lazily exploring Ryoma's mouth. Not till Atobe's free hand slipped under Ryoma's shirt, greedily touching everything and anything it could. And he finally truly understood when a leg slipped between his own and teased him mercilessly.

Breaking off the kiss, Ryoma was gasping for breath as he clung to Atobe, trying to regain some semblance of control. He felt Atobe's throaty chuckle before he heard it, and it made him shudder as some feelings he could not fully understand coursed through him.

Atobe nuzzled, licked, bit, and apologetically licked again Ryoma's sweaty neck. Pulling back to observe the chibi in his arms, Atobe smirked. "I can see everything, Echizen. The shivers that you are trying to hide, the way your trying to swallow past your dry mouth, the way this," again, he knee pressed against Echizen, causing him to moan and bury his face into Atobe's shirt. "You cannot resist me."

"What are you doing to me, monk-ahh," Ryoma gasped as a hand slipped into his pants and palmed him through is underwear.

"Keigo. And I'm sure you don't mind me calling you Ryoma, ne Ryoma?"

After what felt like minutes of pressing into Atobe's hand, Ryoma moaned in disappointment as the hand withdrew. Seconds later he was surprised when his pants were abruptly pulled down and something wet pressed against him. "Ne Ryoma, give me your hand." Atobe guided Ryoma until both their hands were squeezing their erections together. Ryoma was beyond caring, all he could focus on was the amazing amount of heat. The idea that he was holding them together, squeezing them, causing Atobe to loose control as well, quickly brought Ryoma's release. Atobe did not take long to follow.

Ryoma felt his legs weaken as he slowly slid to the ground. Seconds later stong hands pulled him into Atobe's lap, his back resting against Atobe's chest, and he felt Atobe's flacid cock against his ass. He froze but relaxed when Atobe's hands stayed resting against his stomach.

"Hmph, brat. I can't seem to get enough of you. I definitely wasn't planning for this, but you have a way of pushing me." Atobe sighed. "Well at least I can trust Tezuka won't let anyone near here for some time."

Ryoma rested his head against Atobe's neck. "Now what?"

Atobe chuckled. "Now we'll move forward in the proper order of things, starting with a date. Fuji will have my head if he catches wind of this."

Ryoma shuddered at the thought of the endless amount of teasing he could endure. "Yeah, we'll keep the quiet for now." Feeling Atobe stiffen, he hurriedly reassured him, "Not whatever this is. Just the fact we...did this before anything else."

"Whatever brat." Atobe said with a touch of amusement. "I'll take you out tonight."

"Will there be-"

"Yes," Atobe said with exasperation. "I'll make time for a match too."

The End

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><p>I don't really write M-rated stuff, so apologies if this warrants a failing grade.<p>

Thank you for reading!

Reno


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